


Recovery

by AquaLiion



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Major Character Injury, Recovery, Romance, post-interrogation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:06:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23942041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AquaLiion/pseuds/AquaLiion
Summary: The bell hanging over the door swung in motion with the impact and its sound filled the small, dimly lit cafe. The clack of Sae’s heels on the tile flooring sang out in a synchronous tune with the ring of the bell and everyone in the room faced the depressing melody that grew ever closer.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto, Kurusu Akira/Niijima Makoto, Niijima Makoto/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 8
Kudos: 200





	1. Don't Leave Me

_ “Jesus… they did a number on him.” _

_ “I’m sorry.” _

_ “...” _

_ “About everything- from before.” _

_ Sigh “Yeah, you had me scared shitless, but, it’s okay” _

_ “...” _

_ “Are you gonna be okay?” _

_ “I should be but I’ll have to be careful. So do you” _

_ “I’ve been aware.  _

_ So, when do you think the kid is gonna wake up?” _

_ “Soon. He’ll be groggy and in a state of delirium while the time spent with the police catches up with him. We need to get him medical treatment as soon as possible.” _

_ “I already called someone. One look at him and I knew I had too.” _

_ “... My apologies.” _

_ “Not your fault. Besides he wouldn’t be here right now if not for you. Anyways, we’re getting close. Get ready to help carry him in.” _

_ “Understood.” _

_ Thud! “Don’t be so formal Niijima.  _

_ … _

_ “Hoo boy. H-hey, be more careful with him.” _

_ “Don’t worry I’ve got him covered, Sakura. Just go and hold the door open for me.” _

_ … _

_ “You’re almost home, Amamiya” _

The bell hanging over the door swung in motion with the impact and its sound filled the small, dimly lit cafe. The clack of Sae’s heels on the tile flooring sang out in a synchronous tune with the ring of the bell and everyone in the room faced the depressing melody that grew ever closer. 

The atmosphere seemed to suck the air out of everyone’s lungs when they saw him. Even with the support, Ren could barely hold himself up. Every breath breathed seemed to fill Ren’s lungs with cement, every step shook him to his very core and his vision could barely discern the different bodies through half sunken lids over swollen eyes. The rush of bodies standing sent shivers up his legs and every vibration threatened collapse while his legs buckled under exhaustive stress. 

Before Ren’s legs could fail him Ryuji caught his other arm and with Sae’s help, led him to an empty booth to lay down in. All of the thieves stood at the end of the table, watching Ren catch up with his breathing, except for Makoto who could only watch from her own booth. Pressure welled up in her chest, tears budded in the corner of her eyes and Makoto clenched her hands into fists- digging her nails into the palms of her hand, puncturing the surface of the skin allowing a small stream of blood to slowly snake its way to the table beneath.

A few moments passed while the other thieves began to fill Sae and Sojiro on their entire plan. Unveiling everything they’ve done to get to this point and thanking Sae for bringing back their leader alive. Makoto sat rigidly, in a trance, while images of her father’s headstone drowned out any of her rational thoughts until the blare of a truck's horn outside drowned out her thoughts. Something inside her snapped, scolding Makoto for sitting idly; scolding Makoto for letting her fears win.

“...no… no… no, babe, no…” Like a plastic rod snapping, something in Makoto shattered. Scrambling to drag herself from her booth seat, Makoto quickly navigated her way through a sea of legs, rushing to another booth, hanging over the side to look at Ren. Her hair obscured any from being able to see her face while she scanned over Ren’s body to see the damages done. Her breathing hitched on the edges of her lips with every wound she counted until she finished and in a flurry of limbs, Makoto reached out grasping her lover’s hand. Holding his hand close to her face, Makoto finally allowed herself to let go of her strength. 

Her shoulders shook with quiet sobs while tears streamed down the length of Ren’s arms. The silence in the room became ear splitting while everyone watched with careful gazes. All except for Yusuke, who wrapped his arm around Makoto, gripping her shoulder tightly, and said, “I think we should get Ren to an actual bed. Come, Ryuji. Help me get him upstairs.”

With a nod Ryuji stood up to help. Yusuke let go of Makoto and motioned to Haru and Ann. Understanding what he meant the two women walked up to Makoto and slowly drew her away from Ren, comforting her. With grunts of stress and a groan of pain, Ryuji and Yusuke picked Ren up and out of his temporary bed- his head lolling backwards unable to hold any of his own weight.

“I’ll go get his bed ready. Futaba, could you grab some frozen peas from the freezer and follow them upstairs?” Sojiro asked, looking behind himself from the base of the steps to the attic. Futaba nodded, opening up the freezer as Sojiro jogged up the stairs. 

Following Ryuji and Yusuke, everyone made their way up into the attic just as Sojiro finished getting Ren’s bed ready for him. The corner of the comforter tugged down half the length of the bed for ease of access. 

The two thieves got Ren into his bed without too much of a struggle and walked backwards, letting the room take a few moments to get their bearings. During this, Sojiro walked downstairs while pulling out his phone and dialing a number. “The doc should be here any minute now.” Sojiro mustered out while making his way up stairs. When he reached the top, Sojiro crossed his arms and stared at Ren. His lower lip quivering slightly.

A few moments passed and Makoto picked herself up from the comfort of Ann and Haru, walked over to a stool and dragged it over to Ren’s bedside. Sitting beside him, slowly sifting her fingers through the soft tufts of his hair.

The sound of the bell hanging over the front door rang through the cafe and the sound of heels grew closer as Takemi made herself visible at the base of the stairs. She opened a black satchel at her side and pulled out a stethoscope, wrapping it around her neck before she arrived at Ren’s side.

Makoto softly shook Ren awake. His eyes struggled to open up but were met with worried smiles surrounding him. Looking up at her, Takemi began her examination. “What happened to him? What was used? I need specifics.” Takemi asked after finishing with the stethoscope and putting it back into her bag. 

“Pentothal. Though how much was used I’m not too sure. Other than that, other injuries were caused by abuse from several other interrogators.” Sae said. Takemi looked towards her and brought her hand to her chin before she continued eyeing over Ren’s body. Dropping her hands and bringing them up underneath the back of Ren’s jawline, Takemi waited a few more moments before reeling back.

“That would explain why I’m hardly getting a pulse. His body is struggling to create one because it’s so drugged up it hardly can.” With a sigh, Takemi lowered her bag to the floor beneath and began shifting around looking for different supplies. While doing so, she said, “Ok. Here’s what’s going to happen. All of you except for one is going to go downstairs or leave entirely. I don’t care as long as he has privacy. As for the one who isn’t, I’ll be using you as an assistant.” Having grabbed what she needed , Takemi looked up and asked, “So who’s volunteering?”

Ryuji hadn’t finished standing up before Makoto looked towards Takemi and said, “I am. What do you need me to do?” A dark fire was lit behind Makoto’s red eyes while she waited for an answer. Turning around and facing her, Takemi said, “Well, first things first, we need to strip him down while trying to cause as little pain as possible. That way we can administer aid where we need.” Turning back around towards the rest of the group and with a shooing wave of her hand, Takemi said, “Now then, everyone, leave him to me. I’ll make sure he gets back to you all like nothing happened.”

Brushing off the front of her skirt before standing up, Haru looked around to the rest of the thieves and said, “Come on, everyone. There’s not much else we can do. Let’s leave Ren in the caring hands of Makoto and Ms. Takemi. I hate to say it, but we’re only going to get in the way.” 

“But…” Ryuji muttered out before Morgana cut him off.

“No but’s. Haru’s right. He needs time to rest and our being here isn’t going to give him that chance.” Morgana said, hopping into Haru’s school bag. “If I can’t watch over him then neither can you Ryuji. We already talked about this.”

Ryuji was tapping his foot wildly on the hardwood floor the entire time Morgana spoke until with one final stamp, he stood up and walked over to the stairs while saying, “Fine.” Looking over at Ren who was still struggling to stay awake, Ryuji whispered at a level the other thieves surrounding him could barely hear. “Get better. Soon. We didn’t win the sprint just to lose the marathon.”

The crowd made their way downstairs and towards the entrance when Sojiro called out everyone asking if they wanted another cup of coffee before they made their ways back home. With a collective shake of heads no, Ann spoke up and said, “Thanks, Boss, but I think we’re going to leave this to Takemi, Makoto, and you two.” Pointing at both Sae and Sojiro, Ann then dropped her hand and was the first through the door. The other thieves followed suit quickly after with Futaba stopping just short before turning back and saying, “Don’t stay up too late, dad.”

With a soft and warming smile, Sojiro said, “Don’t worry. I won’t be much longer. Just until Doctor Takemi has left. Alright?”

“Alright.” Futaba turned around, leaving Leblanc and made her way back home through the streets of Yongen.

A moment passed as Sae pulled up a seat along the bar, asking, “If the offer is still on the table, I’d love a cup. House blend.”

Sojiro made his way to the other side of the bar and began grinding the beans. “Coming right up.” The pair didn’t converse while they slowly downed the cups of coffee Sojiro had made for them. Time ticked away at an excruciatingly slow pace while they waited for Takemi to finish her work. The squeak of Sae’s thumb along the rim of the mug would’ve normally driven Sojiro nuts but tonight, the sound was drowned out by his thoughts of doubt.

When everyone made their way downstairs, Takemi looked towards Makoto and said, “Okay then, now help me get him undressed.” Makoto nodded to her and the two of them began gently stripping Ren of his clothes so as not to cause him too much pain.

Upon taking off his uniform jacket and turtleneck, a large bruise was found in the middle of his chest and spread around in a wide circle along with another on the middle of his bicep. Though smaller, it was clear that this was where the interrogators made their injections despite Ren’s clear struggling. Splotches of red spots that were beginning to swell were littered over his abdomen and whenever Takemi pressed down on one slightly, Ren would wince in pain. Makoto took hold of his hand while Takemi continued her examination and whispered to Ren, “Just squeeze my hand and listen to my voice. Just stay awake a little bit longer, love. Just a little bit longer.”

Pressing her lips against the tips of his fingers, Makoto waited and soothed Ren until Takemi required her once more. Slowly stripping off his trousers, the worst of his injuries could be found. A large boot print branded itself along his upper left thigh. A sickening mix of purple and green filled the surface area of the injury while a pus like mix of yellow and red seeped underneath the skin in the surrounding area of the print.

“Christ…” Takemi whispered to herself before examining the wound. Merely breathing on it seemed to torment Ren. His grip around Makoto’s hand clenched until the blood disappeared from both of their joined hands. It wasn’t much longer until Ren could breathe again, even if every breath was still a clear struggle.

Putting away all of her supplies back into her bag, Takemi then pulled out a bottle and shook it around and placed it on the end table at the head of his bed. Together, the two of them got Ren into some comfortable clothes for him to sleep in, and then Takemi made her way downstairs. Makoto stayed behind, returning to sifting her fingers through his hair. Ren’s steady breathing filled her ears with comfort and assurance while she continued to caress his hair. 

“Alright. I need to go check in with Boss and my sis. I’ll be right-” Makoto said while slowly letting go of Ren and making her way to the stairs. But she was interrupted. Ren reached out and grasped at the hem of her skirt. Barely able to open his eyes, Ren looked towards Makoto and with a shaky voice, asked, “Don’t leave me. Please.” 

Makoto turned around and with quivering lips locked her own with Ren’s. Standing over him, sharing the moment of sorrowful bliss and wishing she could take all of his pain away, Makoto stood back up and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Quickly making her way downstairs, Makoto caught Sae and Sojiro just as Takemi was finishing up her recommendation for treatment. “-rest. He needs rest and how much I can’t say. I’ve left some painkillers upstairs near his bedside. Just make sure he takes those once every six hours. Other than that, make sure that he gets as much rest as he needs and that it doesn’t get disturbed.” Looking up at Makoto as she came to the base of the stairs, Takemi opened up the door and said, “If anything comes up, call me. I’m worried about his breathing.”

“Understood. I’ll let you know if anything comes up Doc. Have a nice night.” Sojiro said and then the front door closed. Once more the bell hanging over it rang through the cafe. Turning back towards Sae and Makoto, Sojiro asked, “Is there anything I can get for you ladies before you head out.” 

With a smile, Sae nodded her head and said, “No, we’ll just be making our way home now.”

“Actually,” Makoto said, garnering the attention of Sojiro and Sae. “I’m going to be staying with him tonight to watch over him. I can make sure he gets his medicine and-”

“I thought you might say that.” Sae said with a smile, standing up and walking over to Makoto and embracing her tightly. “Make sure he gets well, okay? I’ll see you at home when you’re ready to come back. I need some time to myself anyways.” With a peck on her little sister’s cheek, Sae, grabbed her belongings, gave thanks to Sojiro once more and said her goodbyes to them both before leaving.

When the bell stopped ringing, Sojiro looked over at Makoto and said, “Y’know, you’re probably the best damn thing that’s happened to him. Keep him safe for me. I’ve shut down the store for the next few days. Should he need anymore just let me know, okay? I’ll come on on by tomorrow morning to make you breakfast and-”

“Sojiro. Don’t worry. He’s in good hands.” Makoto said with a soft smile causing the old man to stop in his tracks. When his eyes met with Makoto’s, Sojiro began to break down. As the tears made their way down his face, Sojiro quickly wiped them away and said, “Alright. Thank you. Oh, here’s Takemi’s number. Make sure you call her if anything happens and… don’t tell anyone about that. Just keep it between you and me.” 

Makoto gave a soft laugh and nodded, waiting until Sojiro left, who placed a key on the counter before exiting out the door. Waiting a few more seconds, Makoto let out a deep sigh, walked over to the door while picking up a key and locked the door. Making her way back up into the attic and turning off all the lights behind her, Makoto pulled out a little drawer of clothes she kept at Ren’s place and changed into her Pajamas.

Makoto turned the light off in the attic. The only other source coming from the full moon shining outside the bedside window. When she reached the side of the bed, Makoto climbed over Ren and laid down beside him. Cradling his head into her chest, Makoto whispered into Ren’s ears, “I’m not going to leave your side. Ever.” Softly kissing his forehead afterwards, Makoto set an alarm on her phone and fell asleep. The heat shared between their bodies heating up the wintry weathered room.


	2. A Room Without Windows

Tae Takemi sat in her chair, soaking in the clean air of the exam room while staring at all of the equipment she pulled out and set up over the last hour. A ventilator and heart rate monitor stood ready for use beside the exam room bed. The soft glow from their powered lights provided a different distraction for the doctor besides her computer. 

Swivelling around every once in a while, Tae would stare at her phone while it lay dormant on her desk. With every rotation, a fear that it would go off and slight relief that it hadn’t. 

Sliding her heels into the tile flooring until the chair stopped rotating, Tae let out a deep sigh before nudging her way back to her desk and grabbing a small microphone. Powering it on and opening up a new document, Tae began to speak.

“Patient had severe respiratory problems. Period. Concluded this to be from an unknown dose of Pentothal and left the patient be. Period. The effects of Pentothal typically last anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half if the correct dosage is used, comma, however, comma, the drug still had a bearing on his breathing after what is assumed to be about three hours after injection. Period. Because of the unknown variables I have decided to let the patient rest at home for the current moment, comma, but, comma, I have also set up a ventilator and heart rate monitor should the patient’s state worsen and I am contacted…. Period.” 

Takemi powered the microphone off while settling it back on the desk. Stretching backwards while sliding in the same direction, she thought to herself while the wheels on the chair slowly spun her around the exam room. _“I should have just made them bring him here. Ren’s breathing was hard enough to hear before I started working on his wounds but… There’s no reason to scare everyone if the dosage wasn’t too high. He’s healthy. He was my guinea pig for god’s sake. Besides, the police needed to question him. Why would they intentionally OD their one and only sus-“_

_Vmm Vmm_

The sound of her phone vibrating against her desk cut off Takemi before she could finish her thought. Sliding over to her phone and answering it, a strained voice spoke immediately after the confirmation click sounded. “Doctor Takemi?” asked Makoto on the other line.

-

It wasn’t long after Makoto drifted off to sleep holding Ren close to her when she was woken. Peering through blurry eyes that slowly opened up to her surroundings, Makoto found Ren leaning over the bedside, struggling to take in air. The sound of his wheezing filled the attic room while every breath taken in seemed to take an eternity to inhale.

Makoto threw the covers off of herself and scrambled over to Ren’s side, finding him grasping his chest while hunched over. His eyes were clenched shut while sweat slowly slid down his forehead before dripping off of the tip of his nose. 

“No, no, no, where is it, where is it, where is it!?” Makoto strained out after hopping off the bed, tossing around the covers trying to find her phone. She tossed and turned them barely feeling the weight of the metal being tossed around. Ren’s breathing seeming to grow worse and worse with every passing second. With adrenaline running through her veins, Makoto’s nerves began to get the best of her when she whipped the bedsheets to her side and back.

Following the sound of her phone smacking the wall behind her, Makoto ran for her it and began dialing with shaky fingers over a now cracked screen. “Don’t worry, Ren. I’m getting help right now.” Makoto hurriedly said while waiting for the ring of the phone.

Sojiro had picked up before the second set of pings could begin. “Makoto, what’s going on? What do you need?”

Her voice threatened to break out into sobs while she spoke through a tearing voice. “It’s Ren. I need help getting him to Takemi’s. Please get here now!” Her phone clicked as Sojiro ended the call without another word. Running over to Ren, Makoto wrapped his arm around her neck and lifted him up. With her left arm propped underneath his chest, Makoto began to make their way for the stairs while quickly dialing Takemi’s number.

It rang once. Twice. _Click_

“Doctor Takemi?”

“Hello? What’s going on?” Asked the doctor, her voice rising as the questions flowed.

Through grunts of stress while making her way down the stairs, Makoto said, “It’s Ren. He can’t breathe and I don’t know what to do I- I- I’m heading over to the clinic now.” When Makoto reached the base of the stairs, the entrance to Leblanc flew open, slamming against the wall with Sojiro rushing over to help carry Ren.

“Alright. Get him over here as quickly as possible. I have everything set up already- Damn it! I knew I shouldn’t have left him there,” Takemi yelled out on the other line, hanging up as she finished.

The pair carried Ren out of Leblanc and into the streets of Yongen. Makoto’s heart raced, using her empty hand to feel for Ren’s heartbeat against his chest, her heart pounded faster and faster as she felt his slowly grow weaker and weaker. The time between the rise and fall of his chest increased with every breath he took in.

Turning onto the corner of the neighborhood theatre, Sojiro grunted out in low whispers, “It’s going to be okay, kid. You’re going to be okay. You’re going to be-” Takemi opened up the front door as the pair reached the top of the steps, cutting off Sojiro.. 

Ushering them inside of the lobby, Takemi called out rushingly, “Straight ahead through the hallway- last door on your right. Lay him down on the table for me.”

Following their instructions, Sojiro and Makoto led Ren to the exam room. Takemi entered in shortly after as the pair got ready to lift Ren onto the table. “Sojiro, take his legs. Alright… Three, two, one.” The two of them lifted him off of the ground and slowly placed him back down. Makoto taking a quick second to adjust Ren’s head comfortably on the pillow.

His eyes barely slogged open to see Takemi washing her hands and putting on some gloves, except the face went unrecognized to Ren as she approached. The snap of her latex gloves echoing in the exam room while the silhouette he saw grew closer.

Something inside Ren screamed in protest as Takemi grabbed a knife, starting at the bottom hem, and cut open his sweatshirt revealing his torso. Softly placing the monitors over his chest and abdomen, the screaming in Ren’s head began to quieten- his already blurry vision began to fade- the warm comfort and embrace of blinding black took hold.

“Shit,” Takemi muttered to herself as the readings on the monitors went online. With a heart rate dipping below sixty beats per minute, Takemi rushed over to the ventilator, grabbed hold of a breathing tube and locked it in with a snap. Pressing a finger against Ren’s forehead to keep him in place, Takemi lowered Ren’s jaw, opening his mouth. Sliding the breathing tube down his throat, Takemi turned the ventilator on as it reached its mark. Watching Ren’s chest rise gleeful for air, her own settled while a gasp of relief left her.

“Makoto, is it? Do you mind holding this still while I tape his mouth around it.” Offering the breathing tube to her, Makoto did as Takemi said and watched as the tape wrapped around his lips, then around the tube. “You can let go now if you want,” Takemi said with an exasperated sigh. Sitting in her office chair, Takemi wheeled back around to her computer and turned on the microphone.

“Associate of the patient contacted me, comma, notifying me of the deteriorating state of the patient. Period. With help from associates the patient made it to the clinic where I had them place the patient on an exam table while I made the preparations to operate the ventilator. Period. Heart rates lowest recorded BPM was just under sixty beats at a concerning fifty-eight beats per minute. Period.” With a sigh, Takemi looked back at the heart rate monitor while Sojiro and Makoto sat around Ren. “Ventilator was established within the patient's system without any difficulties and his vitals are beginning to return to normal rates. Period. As of 01:38 the patient’s heart rate has been recorded at sixty-seven beats per minute and rising. Period.” 

With a click, Takemi turned the microphone off, set it down, propped up her arms on top of her desk, and lowered her head into her hands. Closing her eyes, Takemi said, “I’m sorry I didn’t have you bring Ren here sooner. I failed you all as a doctor and caregiver.” Swiveling around to look Makoto and Sojiro eye to eye, Takemi bowed her head down and asked with a quiet voice, “Please forgive me.”

“Forgive you? Doc, we should be thanking you,” Sojiro said, looking from Takemi as she raised her head back to Ren. Brushing the hair out of his ward’s eyes with the palm of his hand, Sojiro spoke through a shaky voice. “Thank you.” The gruff man brought a hand to his face, rubbed his eyes and wiped away the moisture peeking out of their corners.

With a sigh, Sojiro walked over to the door, looked back at Makoto and said, “I’m heading back home. I have an extra room you could sleep in if you want, Makoto.”

Makoto shook her head no, looked up at Sojiro and said, “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not leaving his side. I have a promise to keep.” Looking towards Takemi as she stood up and brushed her lab coat slightly. “If it’s alright with you, doctor.”

“Mmm, that should be fine.” Walking over to the door as Sojiro made his departure, Takemi looked back and said, “There’s a blanket in my office if you want it. I’ll be back early tomorrow once his system has recovered to remove the ventilator. And… don’t burn the place down?” With a soft smile, Takemi followed shortly behind Sojiro.

The click of the exam room door closing rang through the exam room while Makoto picked up Ren’s hand, holding it against her face. Watching his chest rise and fall more easily with the passing seconds, Makoto whispered out, “Don’t you ever scare me like that again. Ever. Again…” Her shoulders shook while her quiet sobs barely echoed in the room. Interlocking her fingers with Ren’s, Makoto watched her boyfriend, listening to his breathing over the sound of the equipment in the room- making sure he slept peacefully.

-

When Ren’s eyes slowly drew open, he found himself back in his interrogation chamber sitting at the steel table, wrists restrained to the chair he sat on and alone with his thoughts. Ren took in a deep breath, inflating lungs that felt empty for what seemed to Ren like days. As the oxygen soaked into his veins, euphoria struck his head while looking around the room. The dim white light hanging overhead seemed to brighten, seeping its light into each crevice the metal box offered.

Then it dimmed once more- confusion plaguing Ren’s mind as he stared at the cuffs on his wrist. “But… I thought we won. Didn’t we?”

“What are you talking about?” A voice stabbed into Ren as he looked up to find Sae sitting on the chair across the table, staring daggers into his core. Ren’s eyes met with his interrogator’s while sweat began to bead at the top of his forehead, slowly dripping down his face. Fear filling his pores, Ren’s eyes widened as he looked around and found himself imprisoned once more in a room without windows.

“No answer?” Sae asked. Her voice filled with venomous steel. 

Ren stared at Sae, swallowed the thickening spit in his mouth and croaked, “I’m sorry- I don’t understand.”

With a sigh, the prosecutor muttered to herself while packing up her belongings back into her briefcase. “To think, after all this time chasing after you and your companions, we finally catch the leader of the phantom thieves and all he can do is spout nonsense of another world.”

Ren looked from the briefcase as its locks latched together and then to Sae. With a raspy voice, Ren yelled out while struggling against his cuffs, “Wait! Please you have to believe me! I’m not lying to you!”

Standing up and checking her watch Sae looked at Ren and said, “No. You’ve wasted my time with a frivolous story of lies and wonder. A talking cat? Palaces formed from ‘distorted desires’? Persona’s? You can’t seriously expect me to believe any of this.”

“No… No… No, no, no, no, no. Please Niijima, you have to believe what I’m saying. It’s all in the phone. Please!” Ren cried, leaning as far forward as his restraint would let him. The muscles in his neck flexed while he tried to extend further than allowed. “You just need to show the traitor that phone. The _true_ traitor. The real criminal causing the mental shutdowns.”

Pulling out the plastic bag the phone rested in, Sae stared at it for a moment before looking back at Ren. Placing a single hand on the table, she leaned forward until her eyes were level with her guest and said, “Unless you have any actual information for me. Something believable. Only then will we have anything further to discuss. Until then… enjoy prison, Amamiya.

Sae straightened up and dropped the phone into her pocket before turning around and opening the door. A vast expanse of endless black opened before her and Sae stood unfazed. Watching her step through, Ren’s eyes bulged while sweat poured over them more quickly than before. Trying to force his way out of his restraints, Ren felt the skin on his wrists tear, the bones in his hands begin to crack under the force. With a sickening snap, it felt like a hot knife slowly dug its way into Ren’s wrists while he fell forward, crashing into the steel table. The sound of the door closing filled the room and was followed soon after with silence.

Bringing his hands just inches away from his eyes, Ren gazed at his broken thumbs. His breathing grew faster. His heart beating with an increasingly rapid pace. 

Ren screamed. He screamed as loud as he could and he screamed till he couldn’t anymore. His throat felt like he had just run it through a meat grinder. Looking up towards the light, Ren stared, feeling the light burn in the back of his eyes. Slowly, they began to water more and more the longer he went without blinking and after a few minutes, it became too much to handle. Ren blinked and the room shifted.

He was sitting in the steel chair once more. The table was propped back up on it’s legs and Ren noticed that he wasn’t handcuffed anymore. But it was difficult to breath. It felt like something was slowly wrapping around his neck, constricting his breathing. 

Looking down, Ren found a set of black chains slowly tightening around his neck. As the pressure began to build in his head, Ren grasped at the chains and tried to pull them away but found no matter how hard he tried, they only continued to tighten. And then he heard the chuckle.

Looking up to find where it came from, Ren’s eyes met with Akechi’s- a malice filled smile spread across his face. His arms extended out and his hands wrapped around Ren’s neck, Akechi whispered in a soothing voice, “Shh shh shh. Don’t struggle. It will all be over soon. You won’t even feel a thing once it’s all done.”

Ren felt the pressure continue to build up. His ears screamed out in agony. Then, a pop. Ren’s vision went black as the hands around his neck dissipated. Falling, falling, forever falling, never to wake back up again until the clock struck the fate of the other thieves. 

His head landed on top of the steel table. It’s cold surface bringing him back to consciousness within the room. Ren picked his head up off of the table and found his friends standing in a line against the wall in front of him in tattered clothes, hands cuffed behind their backs. Ryuji looked up at Ren, his eyes painted over with black X’s. Slouching forward, Ryuji slid down the wall. When at the bottom, he muttered, “Some leader you were.”

What sounded like a night time news anchor’s voice began to echo through the room. “Tonight in breaking news, a promising Shujin trackstar was beginning to make a triumphant return among his peers after an injury caused to him by the abusive instructor, Suguru Kamoshida, but has sadly passed away with his mother earlier this evening. A collision with a semi-truck head on ended the lives of both parties on impact. Police are currently investigating and believe drunk driving to be the cause. More on the story later tonight.”

“No… It wasn’t supposed to happen like this…” Ren could barely muster the words out before with a huff of his breath, Ryuji glared at Ren.

“Yeah. Well it did. And guess who’s fault it is.” Ryuji hissed the words out of mouth before leaning back against the wall. Haru was the next to step forward. Her eyes listless while a bruise began to quickly form on her cheek, just below the eye.

Haru didn’t speak while she stared at Ren. Moments passed before anything happened, and then, the voice of Sugimura rang throughout the room. “Don’t worry about my sweet little Haru. After the death of her friend, I was there as her loving fiance and comforted her. Now she doesn’t have to worry about a thing while I take care of the company. All I request of Haru while I take on the jarring responsibility of the company, is that she stay quiet and is there when I want her to be.”

Ren's eyes flashed with fury at the mental image of Sugimura. Looking to Haru as the corner of his eyes began to leak, Ren forced the words out and asked, “But didn’t you call off the wedding? I thought… I thought…”

“I guess it was unreasonable of me to think that I deserved to choose who I love,” Haru said as she moved back against the wall, an open hand print quickly coloring the side of her face as she did.

Futaba stepped up and crouched down, covering her ears like she used too when the hallucinations of her mother terrorised her. The same news anchor’s voice echoed throughout the room. “The police have announced the arrest of Sojiro Sakura, who sheltered the leader of the Phantom Thieves as an acting guardian for a probation sentencing. Charges pressed against him include conspiracy against the government and being an accomplice- to the terror the Phantom Thieves wrecked upon our peaceful nation. Sakura faces life imprisonment for his actions. More on this story later.”

“They took him away, Ren. They took Soji away!” Futaba cried out, her screams echoing on the walls. “They’re sending me back to live with my uncle again… I’m so scared, Ren. What do I do?” Futaba lifted her head to meet Ren face to face. The same black paint covering Ryuji’s eyes, covered Futaba’s.

“Futaba… No, no, no not like this you weren’t supposed too…” Ren muttered out while Futaba slunk back against the wall while she wrapped herself in her jacket. The green forearms leaked red as she moved.

Ann was the next to step forward. Like Futaba and Ryuji before her, Ann bore black X’s painted over her eyes. Except, more than that, she burdened the pain of several lacerations up and down her arms and thighs. “I guess I wasn’t strong enough for Shiho. Hell, in the end I wasn’t even strong enough for me.”

The anchor’s voice echoed throughout the room. Upon hearing the voice, Ren screamed out, “No! Don’t you dare take her away! Ann! Please don’t give in!”

“-found in a motel room suite. The victims were identified as Ann Takamaki and Mitsuo Kubo. Police believe the murder-suicide to be the result of a freak attack from one of Takamaki’s fan’s.”

Staring down at the table, Ren slammed a closed fist onto its surface repeatedly, screaming out in anguish. Ren screamed and he screamed. The very core of his heart cried out in agony praying for the nightmare to be over. 

“I’m sorry, my friend.” Yusuke said with the usual deep soothe of his voice. “But, after losing Madarame and then you, I’m afraid that I can’t see the beauty in the world anymore. It all looks so dull. So, forgettable.”

Picking his head up, Ren found Yusuke staring down at the floor, his face twisted with sorrow. Paint littered his clothes in random colors that slowly began to fade into grey. Once all of the color had left him, the voice of Akiko Kawanabe rang throughout the room. “I’m terribly disappointed, Yusuke. You showed off so much potential when you won that contest. I was so excited to see where your beauty would take you after that radiant hope gleamed off of you. But I guess Madarame has too much of a grasp on your art. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to revoke my sponsorship of your work.”

Ren cried out as Yusuke backed against the wall. “No, Yusuke, don’t give up! What about the beauty you fought for!? What of the Sayuri!?”

“What of it?” asked Yusuke, now glaring at Ren. “Just thinking of it shames me. The beauty I tried to find and ruined so brashly.”

“No…” Ren’s voice faltered. The weight of his heart became too much to bear when Makoto stepped forward. With bruises covering her body and smeared makeup covering her face she looked at Ren, and smiled softly.

“I miss you, Ren. I miss you so much. I’m sorry I couldn’t be stronger. I tried. I tried so hard but I guess I angered a lot more than just Kaneshiro over the summer.” Makoto said while stepping forward, around the table and closer to Ren.

An authoritative but soft voice filled the room one last time. “I’m sorry to tell you this Prosecutor Niijima, but we finally found your sister. We found her after busting a ring run by the Dragon Syndicate. She hasn’t said a word since we found her and is currently being transferred to a mental institution. I’m sorry, Niijima. But for what it’s worth, at least you’ll be able to see her again.”

“Mako…?” Ren whispered out while the love of his life stepped up to his side and held his cheek, softly stroking it with the side of her thumb. Makoto leaned down and locked her lips with Ren’s, disappearing into a puff of smoke as she pulled away. Ren turned to look at the rest of his friends once again as they followed suit behind Makoto and soon, the entire room fell away from existence and darkness once again enveloped Ren.

-

Ren’s eyes shot open as he awoke with a jolt, startling Makoto from her sleep. Picking her head up off of Ren’s arm, she found his eyes wide with tears streaming down fast. His breathing quickened as he looked around another windowless room.

Makoto shot up off of the chair she slept in, the blanket Takemi had offered earlier sliding off of her back as she did. Makoto brought her hand against Ren’s forehead and wiped away the building sweat, drawing the ire of Ren’s focus.

The moment he saw her, Ren flailed the arm closest to her in an attempt to grab hold of her hands. Their fingers interlocking with one another when Makoto grasped his arm and took hold of his hand herself. Beginning to kiss down on each of Ren’s individual fingers, Makoto spoke.

“It’s alright. It’s alright. I’m right here. It was just a bad dream. Shh shh, just breathe and go back to sleep. I’m not leaving your side. You’re safe. Just breathe for me.” With every sound of her voice, Ren’s breathing calmed further and further until with a long sigh, he looked at Makoto and began to smooth the side of his thumb against her hand until the embrace of sleep took hold of him once again.

Still holding onto his hand, Makoto leaned over and kissed Ren’s forehead. Grabbing the blanket that had fallen over, Makoto sat back down and with hands twined together with Ren’s, she fell back asleep shortly after.


	3. When the Heart Rests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick little edit!
> 
> I listened to this while I wrote the chapter today!  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTlRfkAablo&ab_channel=TheSoulofWind
> 
> I recommend you do the same as you read as I feel it fits the chapter quite well :)

Tae slowly opened up the door into the exam room and walked in. The intervaled beeping from the heart rate monitor sounded in sync with the small quiet breaths of Makoto and Ren as they slept. Looking over the two of them, Tae let out a sigh of relief. She looked over Ren’s vitals then took her index and middle fingers, placing them underneath the back of his jawline- checking his pulse for added measure.

Trying to stay as quiet as possible in the peaceful atmosphere, Tae grabbed a blood pressure gauge and unwrapped it slowly so that the detaching velcro wouldn’t disturb her visitors. Wrapping it around Ren’s arm, just above the elbow, Tae began pumping air into the sleeve. Waiting the few moments it took to get an accurate reading, with a soft smile Tae unwrapped the gauge once more and put it away before gently nudging Makoto awake.

“Hey,” she said as the brunette slowly began to come back to groggy consciousness. “He should be fine now. I’m going to remove the ventilator soon and then I’ll leave for a moment. Do you mind helping wake him up so we can get him discharged?”

Picking herself up off the table slowly while rubbing the dry away from her eyes, Makoto asked through a quietly waking voice, “So, he’s going to be okay then?” Her words threatened to tear up when she looked over Ren while Tae began to remove the tape around his mouth.

“Well,” she whispered, taking the final piece of tape off before grabbing the breathing tube. “He still has a lot of recovery time ahead of him. I can’t heal physical injuries that fast. He’ll need time for those. But he’s not in danger from the overdose anymore. And so all it is, is a matter of time and rest. Make sure he actually gets some, will you?”

Tae punctuated the end of her sentence with a wink and a soft smile while slowly pulling out the breathing tube. The sound of Ren taking in a deep breath of his own volition without any aid filled the room. Despite the desperation in the noise, the calmed and stable breathing that followed brought a certain serenity to Makoto, who slowly drew his hand into her’s.

Makoto stared at Ren with relief filled eyes. A few tears began to make their way out of their corners before she looked up at Tae and with a smile that could bring peace to any soul said, “Don’t worry, Doctor Takemi. He’s in good hands. I’ll make sure he stays safe.”

Detaching the disposable hose from the ventilator, Tae tossed it in a biohazard waste bin while allowing Makoto’s smile to ease away the rest of her worries. “Good. Now then, I’ll let you wake him up while I go and find him a crutch and officially ‘unofficially’ discharge him.”

As the door to the exam room closed behind Tae, Makoto turned to face Ren again. Slowly sifting her fingers through his hair, moving the miscellaneous strands out of his eyes and damping away the sweat with the hem of her pajama sleeve, she gently whispered into his ear, “It’s time to get up, love. We’re going to get you home soon and in an actual bed.”

For Ren, it was a slower process to wake up but the view awaiting him after he slowly drew his eyes open brought a kick into his soul, adding warmth into his heart after a night where he felt like there was none. Through a waking and strained voice, Ren said, “That sounds nice, but, where exactly are we?” Taking in his surroundings through filtered and muffled senses, Ren felt like the room was familiar but couldn’t figure out why. 

“We’re at the clinic. You woke up last night barely able to breathe. Boss and I brought you here so that Doctor Takemi could help you recover.” Makoto drifted her eyes away from Ren and stared at the silent heart rate monitor. Concentrating to keep her upper lip from quivering but failing to do so.

Ren picked himself up slowly, forcing himself through the pain in his chest and brought a hand to Makoto’s cheek while whispering soothingly to ask, “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?”

Taking the hand on her cheek and locking it with her own, Makoto lightly kissed Ren’s lips before withdrawing slightly and whispering back, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

“Mako-” Ren was cut off by the sound of the exam room door opening up. Tae walked in with a crutch in hand before stopping in her tracks.

“Do I need to go or-” Tae asked before Makoto cut in.

“No, you’re fine, doctor.” Ren looked over Makoto’s face once more, eyeing all of the depressed features in her face. The way the edges of her lips creased when she frowned. How the edges of her lips subtly shook while she tried to keep her composure. And the way her eyes squinted together to keep any tears from exposing themselves.

With a small sigh, Tae walked up to the other side of Ren. “I got you a crutch. I don’t want you walking on that leg anytime soon. Do you understand?” With a nod from Ren, Tae looked at Makoto and asked, “Alright, help me get him off the table?”

Makoto nodded forward and counting down to three, both of them helped Ren pick himself off of the table. Through grunts of pain and with their help, Ren was able to shimmy down the bed and stand up on one leg, using Makoto for support on one side and the crutch for the other.

The three of them began to walk out of the exam room and stopped in the lobby. Tae sat a clipboard down on the counter separating the room from her office and said, “Everything should be good to go. I left some painkillers in your room last night after my examination. Take two pills every six hours. It’ll help with the pain and swelling. You’re gonna be in for a bumpy road so if you need anything, just text me.”

Looking over at Makoto, who was listening to Tae yet looking so distant while she did, Ren brought his tired gaze back to the doctor and said, “Sounds good, and, thanks for all your help. Guess I could say you’re a real lifesaver… eh heh.” The small glare Ren received from Tae quickly shut him up before continuing. “But if I need you I’ll let you know,” and with a squeeze of Makoto’s shoulder, “I think I’ll be fine from here on. Have a nice day doc.”

Makoto and Ren turned around and opened up the door to the clinic. The cold November morning air danced on their skin, biting underneath their pajamas. It was still very early and the sun hadn’t even risen yet, but the skies early blue hue still dimly lit the way for the pair as they made their way back into Leblanc.

Although it took a bit of time, the pair was able to work their way into the attic. The lack of a powered on heater sent chills down both of their spines. Balancing on the crutch so Makoto could turn it on, Ren trudged over to the box television he bought from the second hand store. Using the crutch so that he wouldn’t fall over, he slowly made his way down onto his good knee and pulled out a box filled with an assortment of DvD’s.

Sifting through them while the ignitor in the heater sounded through the room and heat began to sink into the weary frame of the attic surrounding the pair, Makoto walked over to the bed and sat down. She sat and stared at the man who she had given her heart to and received his in return and thanked whatever god out there kept him safe for her. It wasn’t until with a triumphant little chuckle that Ren pulled out a familiar case and Makoto asked, “What are you getting up too over there? Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“Not until I turn on this movie,” Ren said, quickly turning down the volume on the television so it didn’t blare in the quiet attic. Sliding it into the disc reader, the whirring of the disc spinning sounded while the television took a few seconds to work it’s retro magic. The title image of the movie ‘Trial of the Dragon’ worked its way across the screen before it began to play.

Makoto sat and watched confusedly at the screen and Ren before asking, “Why are you putting this on?”

Ren sat still on his knee while he gripped the handle of the crutch with whitening knuckles. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Letting his body relish in the supple flow of oxygen before answering. “Because I don’t know what else to do… I made you worry. I made you cry. I made you hurt when I… I…” Struggling to get back up, Makoto quickly got onto her feet to help Ren get back up until he put out his hand, asking her to stay back. Through the deep pain in his bones, Ren forced himself to stand back up and looked Makoto in the eyes. “I failed you and I’m so sorry, Mako. I failed all of you and I made you all worry when I’m supposed to be the leader of the phantom thieves… Rogue extraordinaire and instead all I have to show for it is hurting you. I’m weak and have been nothing but a burden to the team this entire time and I failed you.” Tears began to stream down the sides of his cheeks and through struggled words said, “I’m so sorry, Makoto.”

She fell back onto the bed and stared at Ren with her mouth slightly ajar before with a chuckle followed by a relief filled laugh while the water in her eyes streamed down her face. “Can you just turn that movie off and come lay down so I can kiss you already? So I can hold you again? Because if you want to apologize then I’m not forgiving you until I can make sure you’re never going to leave me like that again.”

“But I-” Ren began to stammer before he was cut off.

“No ‘but’s,” said Makoto with a joy filled smile spread across her face. The tears streaming at the corners of her lips felt just as happy. “It doesn’t matter if you think you’re weak. If you think you’re a burden. I don’t care if you feel like you failed us. Like you failed me. You want to know why?” As she asked the question, Makoto walked over to Ren and cupped his face in both of her hands. The smile and tears never left her face. “Because none of it is true. You are standing here right now in front of me because you didn’t fail. You lived and with every second I am so grateful that you came back to me. So don’t you ever say that about yourself again because I won’t have any of it. No, instead I’m going to stand by your side and you’re going to stand by mine. Through any hardships we face, we’ll do it together because I know we’ll get through them together. Because I love you and you love me. So let your heart rest because I’ve never been happier than I am now knowing that you’re safe. I love you, Ren. So much.” 

Makoto locked her lips with Ren’s and stood still in their warmth. The seconds passed by and eventually she pulled back. A slight blush flitted around her’s and Ren’s cheeks. “And don’t you ever forget that. So turn off the movie, and come back to bed with me, okay?”

With Makoto’s help, Ren did as she told him- still awestruck by the words that struck down into his very core. He was silent while Makoto nestled in between his legs, wrapped her arms around his torso and laid her head on his chest, careful not to put too much pressure onto his ribs.

With a slight shiver, Makoto pulled the comforter over them and let out a shaky breath. “You know, I was so scared when sis first brought you into Leblanc. I almost couldn’t believe how badly hurt you were. But you were, and through Doctor Takemi’s first examination I tried to be there for you but it felt like you were just barely out of reach. Like there was nothing I could do to help. And then you began struggling to breathe and all I could really do was watch while Takemi helped you breathe. I felt so powerless.”

Makoto nuzzled her head up to meet Ren’s eyes, which were downcast and distant. Makoto reached up and brushed the back of her fingers against his cheek- pulling his vision towards her- before wrapping her arm around his torso once more. “You woke up sometime after the ventilator had started working and Takemi had left. You looked so scared and all I could do was try and calm you down. I was so worried.”

“I’m sor- Eee!” Ren squealed after Makoto tightly pinched the skin of his back.

With a quiet laugh, Makoto said, “I told you I won’t forgive you until I can make sure you’re okay. That means resting and staying right here. Right now. With  _ me _ . Because when you woke up this morning, all of those worries, they may still be here. But at least now- right now- I can finally do my part in making sure they go away.”

Makoto let out a pent up breath and gently snuggled her head into Ren’s chest, closing her eyes and letting Ren’s heart beat lull her into sleep with a profound sense of security. Watching her while comfort took over both of their bodies, Ren caressed the top of Makoto’s hair, crying silently with a small smile on his lips.

The nightmare he had that night circled in his mind while his hand moved on autopilot. The fear he felt as he watched all of his friends fall to fates from what his failure would mean permeated his body. And then he felt a soft thumping. Makoto’s heart, silently beating against his body; resting in bliss while calling for him to do the same. In that small moment, Ren forgot about his fears and let the warm comfort take him. Closing his eyes while the sky outside the window grew brighter, Ren let sleep take hold of him once more- allowing him to truly rest for the first time since he came to Tokyo all those months ago.

This time, Ren slept peacefully. This time, he didn’t have any nightmares. Instead he dreamt of the future now that he had escaped death. He dreamt of his future with Makoto and where this world would take them. How fast the time would fly by them in a fit of pure joy. It made Ren happy. It made his heart happy. And so he slept, basking underneath the sun with the love of his life. 

A few hours passed and the sun had fully risen at this point but the two lovers still slept until the sound of snickering voices began to pull Ren awake. It was small at first and ignorable until a shushing erupted in the room followed by a familiar voice saying, “Hush now all of you, this is going to be one of my masterpieces…” 

Ren’s eyes slowly drew open to find Yusuke standing in front of him and Makoto. His arms were extended out while his hands constructed a makeshift window with his thumbs and index fingers. One of Yusuke’s eyes was clenched shut while the other peered through the opening in his hands until he saw Ren’s eyes open. Keeping his hands still but opening his eyes entirely, in a disappointed voice, Yusuke looked back at the other thieves and said, “Look at what you’ve all done now. You’ve ruined this absolutely beautiful scene. Shame…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the name change confuses anyone. I go by this practically everywhere else so it was starting to annoy me whenever I saw 'Schmech' on this website. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Especially now since I'm diving into the fluff of this little short story
> 
> Also, if there are any typos that I couldn't find, let me know! I'll fix them as soon as I have the chance :)


	4. This Family of Misfits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UONpiJhpa2A&ab_channel=PSC
> 
> This little OST from the P4 Animation fits the scene I had in my head perfectly. Give it a listen on loop while you read :) Cheers guys!

Yusuke sauntered over to the desk chair with a disappointed huff. The quiet laughter of the rest of the thieves filled the attic, bringing a soft warmth to Ren’s cheeks. Through blurry vision and a giddy grin, he brought himself up onto his elbow while rubbing away the tired state of his eyes. Makoto, still fast asleep, nuzzled into Ren’s chest and quietly groaned at her boyfriend’s movement as if she were arguing against there being any further interruption.

Ren lightly rubbed the ball of Makoto’s shoulder before looking up at the happy faces of all of his friends. Through a strained and waking voice, he said, “What’re all of you guys doing here?”

“Checkin’ up on you of course. We were all pretty worried after what happened last night,” Ryuji said, sitting down onto the wooden floor and crossing his legs together. Ren’s eyebrows tensed with confusion and was about to speak until Ryuji jerked his thumb towards Futaba. “We pretty much all stood up and waited for any updates she was giving.”

“Just because we couldn’t actually be here doesn’t mean we were going to just forget about you and hope you’d be fine after a night or two. We’re a family after all,” Ann said, wrapping her arms around the huddled figure of Futaba and squeezing tightly.

Struggling against the sudden affection through dramatized attempts to breathe, Ann let go and the room filled with quiet laughter again. Giving a sigh that caved into the humor, Futaba pushed her glasses back up and said, “Sorry. I couldn’t sleep after everything and… I was listening in on you guys to make sure you were okay. It was terrifying having to hear everything happen all at once while not being able to help. You being barely able to breathe, Makoto waking up in a panic and then Sojiro just ran out of the house… I kept everyone updated but it was harder to do while you were at Takemi’s.”

Futaba drifted her eyes down, looking away solemnly while wiping away the beginning of tears. Sitting on the other end of her, Haru lightly grabbed onto Futaba’s shoulders and whispered quiet comforts. “Hey, it’s alright though, isn’t it? Ren’s okay now so there isn’t any reason to be sad anymore.”

Haru looked over at Ren expectantly, asking with silent words for him to step in. He looked over at Futaba and said, “Haru’s right. I’m alright. You’re alright. We’re all fine and it’s all because of your brilliant use of the metaverse. Without you, we wouldn’t have been able to beat Akechi and whoever he’s working with at their own game.”

“But what if it didn’t work,” Futaba slowly whispered out. 

Rubbing the top of the ginger’s head, Haru soothed out the words, “But it did. So there’s no need to think about the ‘what ifs.’ Because those possibilities have already come and left. We’re safe for the time being and we wouldn’t be without your help.”

Futaba opened her mouth, getting ready to interject, when Makoto groaned quiet protests and buried her head further into Ren’s chest. It stopped Futaba in her tracks while the others continued to poke their silent fun and a soft red brushed over Ren’s cheeks. It took a few moments of observing the smiles on the thieves faces and their odd and end conversations before Futaba donned her own and leaned onto Haru’s shoulder.

Wiping away the blush on his cheek, Ren could once again feel the sensation of eyes upon him- scanning every crevice of his face while the distinct sound of pencil scratching against paper pervaded through the laughter. Slowly dragging his head to meet the noise, Ren found Yusuke huddled over a sketchbook with pencil in hand hovering over the paper and drawing at a lightning pace. 

Keeping the rest of his body rigidly still, Yusuke rushed the lead against his small canvas, constantly shifting his eyes from the page to Ren. Back and forth his eyes went and every time they came up to look at Ren there was a sharp glare that tore into him until a few seconds passed and Yusuke stopped with a jolt. Staring at his sketch, Yusuke raised his eyes and this time was very much glaring at Ren.

“We’ve been over this before, Ren. Don’t. Move. Now, if you would, please return to your original position. I’m not done yet.” With a quick tap of his pencil against the sketch pad, Yusuke hummed in a hurrying manner.

“Bud, you could always just take a picture if it’s that important to you,” Ren said with intermittent, breathy laughs.

“Please don’t…” Makoto said through a muffled voice that rang through Ren’s shirt, tickling his chest as it echoed off.

With a triumphant clap, Yusuke straightened out and gestured towards a waking Makoto. “See? Even she agrees with me. A photo? Preposterous. It would only be a disservice to the wonderful scene in front of me. There’s no way I could willingly ruin my artistic drive with a… a… a photo.”

Yusuke’s face contorted into one of victory filled disgust, but was quickly washed away when Makoto threw the comforter over her head and cried out with annoyed strain, “That’s not what I meant~!”

Yusuke brought his hand up ready to argue his point when an empty water bottle went sailing across the room and smacked him on top of the head. Stopping dead in his tracks and turning to face Ryuji, Yusuke met his wide, toothy grin with a scowl. 

“Nice shot,” Ann commented, receiving a thumbs up from the blond in return.

“Just give it up already, forehead. The opportunity has already left the building. Leave the love birds be for cryin’ out loud.” Ryuji said, earning laughs from the rest of the thieves in return. Laughs that slowly broke down Yusuke’s scowl until he sat back down with his own soft smile, crossing his arms.

Still, this didn’t stop Ren from turning and meeting Yusuke’s eyes and giving a knowing wink. The blue-haired teenager gave a satisfactory smile, nodding in return before asking, “How are you doing though, Ren?”

“Eh, could be better, could be worse. I’m pretty sure we got over the big hurdle last night, but it’s going to be a couple days until I can walk well again,” Ren finished, pointing to the crutch on the floor next to the bed. “But, even with that little bit of help, Takemi actually wants me to stay off the leg as much as possible over the next few days.”

Speaking through the mouthful of snacks, Ryuji lifted his hand and began mumbling for Ren’s attention before swallowing the chewed ball of chips. “I was actually just thinkin’ about that. Couldn’t we just, like, I dunno- go into mementos real quick and pop you with a bit of healin’?”

Ren looked away considering the idea when Morgana sat next to Ryuji. “It’s not a half bad idea but it doesn’t work like that.” Ryuji looked down at the cat getting ready to ask why when Morgana continued. “Just think about it. If we could heal real world wounds in the metaverse, wouldn’t  _ your _ leg be fine? It all comes down to cognition. We perceive injuries in the real world to be much harder to heal than those in the metaverse. So it just doesn’t work because our cognitions won’t allow it.”

“ _ Tch… _ damn. Sorry bro, I tried comin’ up with something but Morgana is actually making sense for once,” Ryuji said, looking disappointed while Ann leaned forward on the couch towards Ryuji with a smirk on her face.

“Are you sure it’s that Morgana is just now finally starting to make sense? Or are you just finally catching up with the rest of us?” Ann said, receiving giggles from Futaba and Morgana in return while Ryuji’s jaw began to drop in protest.

“Oh… shuddup,” Ryuji began, tossing a half-empty box of pocky at Ann. “It’s not like you figured this shit out much faster than I did anyways!”

Ren watched at the two blondes he adored so much began butting heads with one another, letting the smile spread across his face while he remembered how their little group began. Wondering how it grew so large in just six months. Knowing that even in that small amount of time, he made friends that would be by his side no matter what and he by theirs. 

It wasn’t until he felt Makoto shuffling beneath the covers that he snapped from his small trance. Digging herself out from underneath the comforter, Makoto sat up, gave Ren a quick peck on the lips and joined the rest of the thieves. Sliding off the bed and sitting on the floor, resting her back along the side of the mattress and the boxes they stood on. Ren gazed over all of the strands of her hair sticking out in odd directions, smiling to himself while Makoto and Haru began to talk with one another. Something about the college entrance exams but Ren wasn’t listening.

The cacophony of happiness and joy that filled the room to the brim of it’s corners left Ren speechless. The way Ryuji, Morgana, and Ann were arguing with one another in smile filled attempts at making fun of each other. How Haru and Makoto leaned close to one another catching up with each other while stopping every few seconds to poke fun at the trio of roasts. To Futaba huddling over Yusuke and his sketch pad, giving order and direction to a masterpiece of art dedicated to the Neo Feathermen.

_ This. This is why it was all worth it. I love you guys. Every single one you. And no matter what I’ll be there for you all through thick and thin. Because you’ve all done the same for me.  _ Ren shifted himself up further on the bed, setting his back against the wall at the head. Rubbing away throbbing pain in his thigh, Ren watched with quiet glee.  _ No matter what happens, if I have the ability to keep this little moment safe, it doesn’t matter what happens to me, I’ll always try. _

“Hey! Hold up… I just realized something,” Ryuji began, garnering the attention of everyone in the attic before looking towards Ren disappointedly. “You’re technically supposed to be dead. You don’t have to go back to school with us tomorrow. Dammit, it’s gonna be boring without you there RenRen but at the same time I’m kinda wishin’ I was in your shoes right about now.”

“Something tells me that’s not necessarily true…” Haru said, nudging her head towards the crutch. “But, Ryu is right. It’s going to be different without you there, Ren. I’m going to miss our gardening for the time being.”

“Oh, I’m sure the plants will do much better with just you around, Haru. I don’t have much of a green thumb anyway.” Ren said, patting down the slowly dying joy in the air before Futaba jutted in.

“Well, it’s not like there’s much difference for me,” Futaba said, before turning back towards the finished drawing of her Neo Feathermen as Yusuke carefully tore it away from his book and handed it to the ginger.

Setting the sketch pad down, Yusuke followed the same sentiment. “And the same goes for me. So, please everyone. Do not let this get us down. This day should be a celebratory one. To the health of our leader and the success of yet another palace infiltrated!”

The thieves cheered in unison and the spirits quickly rose once more. Turning around and facing Ren, Makoto locked her hand with his and said just loud enough for the two of them to hear. “I’m going to be skipping out on the first two days of the week. Sis is letting me. I’ve got to make sure you listen to Takemi’s orders after all.”

“Speaking of, can you hand me one of the bottles of water. My leg is killing me,” Ren asked, followed by Makoto quickly reaching over and grabbing one for him as he popped open the bottle of painkillers and downed one of the supplements with a quick swig. Ren set the bottle down at his side and quickly relocked his hand with Makoto’s and said, “But, you don’t have to do that. I can be on my own if you want.”

Makoto’s grip tightened and she quickly gave a light kiss to the tips of Ren’s knuckles before looking up with a mischievous smile. “Babe, please. Even I want a break every once in a while. And I intend on having a bit of a fun one. As long as you don’t mind that is?” Makoto ended the question with a singular raised eyebrow, accentuating the smirk on her lips.

Ren returned the same smirk, tilting his head to the side allowing the hair to cover over his eyes a little to stare at her own with a flirtatious sparkle. “Oh I don’t mind at all.”

“Good,” Makoto said, letting go of Ren’s hand and turning back to join the group's miasma of conversations. 

But before she could enter one, Ren slid close to her ear and whispered, “I’ll make sure to ask Futaba to turn off the bug she planted in the store for a few days.” A slight blush filled Makoto’s cheeks along with the same playful smile she had before while Ren leaned back against the wall, feeling the effects of the painkiller begin to set in, thankful for the reprieve.

As time went on, day turned into evening, and evening turned into night. Still, this family of misfits stood by each other’s side. Laughing, talking, playing all the while having to refill the abundance of snacks they had brought. A moment frozen in time for them all. A day they would never forget and would cherish forever.


End file.
